Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-01
AGRICULTURE IN JAPAN.
PHASES OF AGRICULTURE PECU.
LIAR TO THE JAPANESE.
Low Wages and ResuIts-Absence
OF Farming Neutrality-suspicious.
liar Farm Life-Etc.

TThe following interesting article, written by
Hon Horace Davis for the RTCoIDCNIoN, and
which recently appeared in these columns, is
republished in answer TO requests, and TO sup
ply demand for papers containing t-EDs REC
ORD NIoN:
1t was nv fortune during the past year
TO spend a couple of months in the Empire
of Japan, during which | travelled over
some portions of the interior, and was
much struck by the difference between
their way of doing things and ours. My
object in this paper is to try and sketch
some of the salient points of their use of
land and the products derived from it. OF
course the very limited time l had at my
disposal, the small portions of the country
travelled over, and the difficulties in under
standing the methods of a people whose
habits were new to me, and whose language
is often mystery to those who have lived
there many years-all these prevented me
from making much more than superficial
observations, but a great deal of their
farming seemed so new, it was certainly
curious, and much of it | thought would
be instructive to the thoughtful farmer in
California. Asking some indulgence in
view Of my limited opportunities of OBJ
servation, ] will describe what | saw:
A NATIONAL HERMITAGE.
The conditions under which japanese
agriculture is maintained and the methods
by which it is carried on are so utterly
different from our own that it is very hard
to give any adequate idea of it.
First, remember the country was sealed
practically to all foreign commerce and
intercourse for two hundred and fifty years.
Of course the people were cut off from all
knowledge of modern advancement inagri-
cultural science and all improved methods
of handling the soil and crops. At the same
time there were no exports to foreign coun-
tries, and the farming was confined to the
domestic needs of the japanese themselves
To produce what their own people ate,
drank and wore was the problem of the
japanese farmer, and so they have raised
the same crops on the same fields with the
same quaint old tools, and by the same
primitive methods, as satisfied their faith
ers hundreds of years ago.
Low WAGES AND CONFINEMENT.
Then labor is so low, there is no need to.
puzzle their brains for labor-saying MAJ
chinery. Men and women both work in
the fields, and | was told that in the agri-
cultural districts an ordinary laborer re-
ceived only l6 or II cents day. while an
able-bodied girl earned only y or IS, out
of which comes their food and clothing.
This will tell why we in America cannot
raise tea, where so large part of the pick
ing and preparation is hand labor. And
yet poyerty-stricken as these wages seem,
the people were contented and happy in
their lot, more so, it seemed to me, than in
any country have ever visited.
OF course with such low wages all agri-
cultural products are very cheap. l regret
that have not by me the current market
rates for domestic produce, but wheat was
selling at seventy-fve cents to one dollar
per GENITAL, and native -four, dark to be
sure, but wholesome, brought only from
81 so to 81 so in silver per participates
that would drive the California farmer
and miller mad.
NO LAB0R-SAVINC MACHINERY
Another point in which their farming is
essentially different from ours is the alb
sence of machinery and of domestic ami
mails. They have no sheep, no hogs, and
very few horses or bullocks or cows Dairy
ing is consequently unknown No butter
or cheese is produced, and beef, mutton
and pork are unknown as articles of food,
except i'll the treaty ports where foreigners
reside. Of course, in the absence of sheep,
WOODEN clothing, when used, is of necessity
imported.
VEHICLES AND TRANSPORTATION.
There are very few wheeled vehicles
drawn by animals in any part of Japan
OF course the foreigners in the treaty ports
have their carriages, but most of the travel
outside of their cities is done on foot, or
rarely ON horseback, or by jinrikisha,
kind Of large baby wagon, two-wheeled,
drawn by one or two coolies. In the cities
freight is transported on wagons propelled
by men who can be heard at all hours
chanting their song as they keep step at
their work, or by boats on the canals which
intersect every japanese city. In the
country, produce is taken to market on
pack animals, either horses or bullocks,
and one sometimes sees n rude two-wheeled
cart loaded with freight and drawn bv
single bullock, while much of the light
material is carried on the backs of men,
In the country the roads for wheeled We
hicles are few and generally narrow. This
apparent absence of means of Transports
ton is made up for in great measure by
very free water communication All parts
of the empire are easily accessible bv sea.
and great care is taken to utilize the navi-
gable rivers and to supplement them where
possible by artificial Waterways
WASTE LAND AND ITS USAGE.
The hills and mountains are generally
bold and steep, and are but little cult
waited N ha
use, and then only after being terraced into
level plats of ground As they keep no
1ocks of sheep or herds of cattle the higher
parts of the hills are of no use for grazing
and are thinly inhabited, and unused eX
cept for the raising of trees. The Japanese
may we'll teach us a lesson of economy and
good management here, for thew plant
many thousands of acres of these waste
lands with forests, and thus they save the
hills from being denuded, and preserve the
uniform flow of the streams. while the
hills yield them a constant supply of tim
Der. Although the country has been
densely populated for centuries, and all
the buildings are of wood, there has been
little occasion to import timber, for their
own hills yield them an ample supply by
this sagacious management
No-NiNNA4 AMI tSE OE'
Another peeuliarity resulting from the
want of domestic animals, is the absence of
barns on the little farms. Where there
are no animals to house no barns are
needed. OF course the supply of BARNARD
manure, so much relied upon in the older
countries, is entirely lacking. This want
does not seem so strange to the farmer in
California, whose work is generally on 4
large scale which precludes nlanuring the
land. and where & virgin soil needs only
rest and deep blowing for its recuperation.
But well remember how carefully every
thing was saved on the little farms in New
England that could help the exhausted
Worn-eut soils, and all the care could not
keep the lands from wearing out. But
the JspSnese farmer has no harvard to
refresh his little plot of ground and give
MN has one, two or even three croos 4
year. and he practices many expedients to
MI the gap He digs deep and turns over
1resh soil every year; he brings dow, from
the hills, when they are near, loads of fresh
earth and spreads it over his ground. If his
farm Is near 10 the sea he uses seaweeI and
hsh as manure; but, as,ove all. his main
reliance, especially near the cities *
ar,J